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Supersonic Disk Gap Band Parachute Performance in the Wake of a Viking-Type Aeroshell from Mach 2 to 2.5Supersonic wind tunnel testing of 0.813 m diameter Disk-Gap-Band parachutes is being conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) 10' x 10' wind-tunnel. The tests are conducted in support of the Mars Science Laboratory Parachute Decelerator System development and qualification. Four percent of full-scale parachutes were constructed similarly to the flight-article in material and construction techniques. The parachutes are attached to a 4% scale MSL entry-vehicle to simulate the free-flight configuration. The parachutes are tested from Mach 2 to 2.5 over a Reynolds number (Re) range of 1 to 3 x 10(exp 6), representative of the MSL deployment envelope. Constrained and unconstrained test configurations are investigated to quantify the effects of parachute trim, suspension line interaction, and alignment with the capsule wake. The parachute is constrained horizontally through the vent region, to measure canopy breathing and wake interaction for fixed trim angles of 0 and 10 degrees from the velocity vector. In the unconstrained configuration the parachute is permitted to trim and cone, similar to the free-flight varying its alignment relative to the entry-vehicle wake. Test diagnostics were chosen to quantify parachute performance and to provide insight into the flow field structure. An in-line load cell provided measurement of unsteady and mean drag as a function of Mach and Re. High-speed shadowgraph video of the upstream parachute flow field was used to capture bow-shock motion and stand of distance. Particle image velocimetry of the upstream parachute flow field provides spatially and temporally resolved measurement velocity and turbulent statistics. Multiple high speed video views of targets placed in the interior of the canopy enable photo-grammetric measurement of the fabric motion in time and space from reflective. High speed video is also used to document the supersonic inflation and measure trim angle, projected area, and frequency of area oscillations.
Document ID
20150014736
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Sengupta, Anita
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Roeder, James
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Kelsch, Richard
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Wernet, Mark
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Machalick, Walt
(Pioneer Aerospace Corp. South Windsor, CT, United States)
Reuter, James
(Pioneer Aerospace Corp. South Windsor, CT, United States)
Witkowski, Al
(Pioneer Aerospace Corp. South Windsor, CT, United States)
Date Acquired
August 3, 2015
Publication Date
August 18, 2008
Subject Category
Ground Support Systems And Facilities (Space)
Space Transportation And Safety
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2008 AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialists Conference
Location: Honolulu, HI
Country: United States
Start Date: August 18, 2008
End Date: August 21, 2008
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronautical Society
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
EDL
MSL

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